Henry Kapono, Jimmy Buffett
CUBAN cigars are illegal in this country, right? So what do the Grand Havana Room in L.A., the Club Macanudo in New York City, the Cuba Club in Miami and the new Havana Pacific Club opening in Honolulu have in common? Right, no legal Cuban cigars! The local club, dedicated to the cigar aficionado, opens April 5 in Nauru Tower. It promises to be a showcase, complete with a premium cigar collection (averaging from $10 to $25 per), personal, humidified cedar lockers for private stock, a private elevator, climate-controlled air exchangers that refresh all existing air every hour, business services like Internet access, e-mail and copying, and a selection of fine wines, liqueurs and single malt scotch served from carts. It's the brainchild of Steve Sasaki and he's offering lifetime memberships of $1,250. Presumably that's either their lifetime or yours. That compares with the $2,000 annual membership fee at the L.A. club. Those interested can arrange to see the facilities by calling 593-2247 ... Cuba libre?
Not this swank smokerAS adman Marty Schiller was flying back from L.A. on a Hawaiian Airlines flight Wednesday evening, the pilot came on the public address system to advise passengers that they could get a great view of the Hale-Bopp Comet off the right side of the plane. There began something of a mass exodus of people crowding over to the right side for a look, and Schiller was half expecting the plane to fully tilt in that direction ... And for those who've been following the story of the bizarre suicide of mainland computer programmers who were preparing to board a spacecraft following Hale-Bopp, the folks on the Hawaiian flight were unable to see one ...
THERE was California Cuisine, followed by Pacific Rim and numerous bamboo-offshoots, but the new chef at Orchids in the Halekulani refers to his new menu as "Indo-Pacific." Chef Wayne Hirabayashi came to the Halekulani by way of the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, but it was really a homecoming -- he's a Honolulu native. And his cuisine is now rivaling in quality the long-praised fare at La Mer, one floor up from Orchids ...
THERE'S nothing shady about this Shell game. The Shell Oil Co. is sponsoring a concert featuring Henry Kapono at -- where else? -- the Waikiki Shell! The oil company is giving away 8,000 tickets to the show, and you can register to win them at any Shell Service Station -- no purchase necessary. Nothing like getting to see Kapono without, pardon the expression, shelling out any money ... Shell game
CHILLY and wind-blown Chicagoans were doing double takes this month at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. In something of a respite from windy miseries, folks attending the show got to see actual palm trees and tropical flowers. In March! The Maui Flower Association, with the support of Mayor Linda Lingle and the MVB, hired the Show Connection to design and install an appropriate exhibit. SC's Paul Kruck and Tanya Lasconia brightened the Navy Pier Convention Center with more than 70 cases of flowers and palms, creating the only true tropical garden seen during the 10-day run of the show. Organizers verify it was the most popular exhibit. Thanks are due, also, to United Airlines, which transported the splendor gratis as part of its 50th anniversary of service to Hawaii.
EVER since the story of singer Jimmy Buffett taking Cheeseburger in Paradise to court for using the name of a song he wrote in 1978, the Lahaina eatery has enjoyed the way people have responded to its David vs. Goliath appearance. For one, after the story of the lawsuit came out, Cheeseburger in Paradise had its biggest day ever, with total sales of $20,331. It seems Buffett is interested in marketing a string of Margaritaville eateries, and wants to ward off any competition, even though the Lahaina store has its name registered. You'd think Jimmy might lighten up a bit -- not only is he worth $50 million, according to Forbes Magazine, but one of his relatives is investor Warren Buffett, a billionaire many times over ... Buffett to tough it?
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.